Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: Greebo on June 19, 2021, 08:39:26 AM
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Thank you to Lyric1 for finding me the info for this, my first B-26 skin.
"The Milk Run Special" was a 597th BS B-26B flown by Lt. George Overbey and his crew. Flying its first mission in April 1944 from the UK this squadron attacked enemy railways, airfields, depots and V-1 sites in northern France during the run up to D Day. After the invasion it continued to hit enemy communications, later moving to bases in France and then Germany. This aircraft eventually racked up over 100 missions and in 1945 was transferred to the 559th BS where it flew until the end of the war.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=403234.0;attach=34049)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=403234.0;attach=34051)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=403234.0;attach=34053)
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I like it. I might suggest pulling some of the blue out of the metal. Not much.
Great job.
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Nice!
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That's stunning.
I see what V means with the metal showing a blue/teal tint. It could stand a slight dialing back as long as it does not risk looking too gray or purple.
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:aok
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hella nice greebo :aok
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This is the same natural metal colour I used on the four NMF updates I posted a couple of weeks ago and that Vraciu said looked really good. If its now too green/blue it is a bit irritating as I have been gradually shifting the colour that way for a few months following this forum's feedback. Can I ask what RGB colours you guys use for bare metal?
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:aok Nice jugs. :cheers:
:salute
Sik
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This is the same natural metal colour I used on the four NMF updates I posted a couple of weeks ago and that Vraciu said looked really good. If its now too green/blue it is a bit irritating as I have been gradually shifting the colour that way for a few months following this forum's feedback. Can I ask what RGB colours you guys use for bare metal?
I've noticed that even between the Mustang models (B vs. D) metal behaves weirdly. The exact same metal looks different. Are your Normal maps the same?
I would simply desaturate the metal on this one two to five percent. It will pull the blue out and leave your metal the same. Trust me, it will help. I've had this problem before.
I'll get back to you on the colors. Do you have different noise or dirt layers between planes? That could be shifting it.
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This is the same natural metal colour I used on the four NMF updates I posted a couple of weeks ago and that Vraciu said looked really good. If its now too green/blue it is a bit irritating as I have been gradually shifting the colour that way for a few months following this forum's feedback. Can I ask what RGB colours you guys use for bare metal?
Greebo, I've been noticing similar things with paint colors on my skins not perfectly matching across plane types. I'm not even sure if differences in weathering layers is the cause.
I get the frustration.
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There's probably less of a general brown dirt effect at work here than some of my other NMF skins and this may be affecting the overall colour balance. In June 1944 "The Milk Run Special" had only been on ops for a couple of months and had been flying from nice paved surfaces for all that time so I dialled back the grime a bit. I'll try Vraciu's suggestion of desaturating the metal a bit.
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Greebo, as always well done!
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There's probably less of a general brown dirt effect at work here than some of my other NMF skins and this may be affecting the overall colour balance. In June 1944 "The Milk Run Special" had only been on ops for a couple of months and had been flying from nice paved surfaces for all that time so I dialled back the grime a bit. I'll try Vraciu's suggestion of desaturating the metal a bit.
Yup. When I added dirt to Shomo's Mustang it altered the color away from blue pretty significantly. I think you're onto it.
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OK, I've been playing with the metal colour on the skin, trying to get a balance between the red, green and blue that looks right. The following screenshots were taken at the same arena time and from the same viewing and sun angles to eliminate as many outside variables as possible.
First the original metal colour, too green/blue:- RGB 127/138/145
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=403234.0;attach=34049)
Next the colour shifted away from green/blue and towards red, possibly too purple:- RGB 130/135/140
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=403234.0;attach=34055)
Finally the in-between colour that looks to be the best balance to my eyes:- RGB 128/136/142
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=403234.0;attach=34057)
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That in-between shade looks just right. :aok
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The middle one looks best but it trends purple a slight bit.
You can pull the color out and the metal effect will remain. It will look weird to your eyes at first but it's a better effect.
Did desaturation not work?
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I'm talking VERY slight purple. A percent or two at most probably.
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Desaturation just moves the red, green and blue levels of a colour closer together, which amounts to the same thing as I have done above. So if I was to desaturate the colour 100% it would end up as about RGB 137/137/137 but this would look very purple in the game. I think I'll stick with the last colour I made, as the difference between it and the second one is so small anyway.
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We may have different baked in effects.
The second one is best but still leans purple.
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Let me try to illustrate my point.
The top Mustang (ZM*D, "Pride of the 'Bluegrass") has the blue desaturated out of the metal. That blue can still be seen in 5M*K ("Lil' Margaret") at bottom. However, since the markings are also blue your eye doesn't see it as much on its own so I left it.
Contrast the Mustang at top (ZM*D) with your B-26. The purple/blue on the bomber is evident in comparison.
(I probably still need to take more blue out of the tail on ZM*D.).
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=403085.0;attach=34023)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=403234.0;attach=34055)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=401318.0;attach=33327)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=401318.0;attach=33331)
I hope this helps. :salute
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I agree that the above screenshot of my B-26 is too purple and I said that in the post. But that's not the colour I am going with, the third screenshot with the in-between colour is.
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I agree that the above screenshot of my B-26 is too purple and I said that in the post. But that's not the colour I am going with, the third screenshot with the in-between colour is.
It's still too blue. Perhaps I got screwed up on which one you were using. They all have color that should come out regardless. I realize it's a PITA but the skin will benefit.
Compare these two. The blue in the Marauder is stark compared to an almost neutral metal.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=403085.0;attach=34023)
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=403234.0;attach=34057)
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Excellent work! Hope to put this guy through the wringer in special events! <S>
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For this version of the metal I desaturated the base aluminium colour 100%. That turned the overall effect purple in the game so I also desaturated the general brown weathering effects so they were grey too.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=403234.0;attach=34060)
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That is a lot better to my eye.
I don't think a touch of blue is bad generally speaking, just not like before. But this is much more neutral.
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It looks good, Greebo. But, in my opinion, this version is leaning too close to silver paint instead of bare metal.
It might benefit from using a darker shade on the P and S maps so spread out the highlight some more. I think that will make it look more like metal.
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My metal on the S map is grayscale darkened 20%.
For the P map I grayscale then negative image and darken 10-20% multiple times until I get the effect I want.
I don't know how the P map behaves on a large map like a bomber though.
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Yeah, I just remembered, the S map should be light (which it probably already is), but the P map should be dark. He needs a bright and wide highlight.
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I'd have to agree with Devil, as she has more of that "painted" look rather than bare metal. But you appear to be on the right track, as she is looking better than your first go which had that blue hue to her. :aok
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Added a hint of blue back to the base metal colour, darkened the metal on the power map and lightened it on the specularity map.
(https://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=403234.0;attach=34064)
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Looking at it on my phone but, oh yeah. That looks nice. That wider highlight makes a big difference.
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That's the best iteration yet. :aok
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That's the best iteration yet. :aok
Agreed. Still a hint of purple or blue but not overpowering. I look forward to defending my CVs against these beauts. Lol
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Glad you like it guys and thanks for your help in getting it right.
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Always glad to help. It's the least I can do for the tons of assistance you've provided everyone in general--and myself in particular.
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Always glad to help. It's the least I can do for the tons of assistance you've provided everyone in general--and myself in particular.
Yes indeed.
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Looks great, Greebo!
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As Vraciu pointed out, just an extremely light smidge of purple hue in her. Where I see this is on the engines forward of the wing and fuselage to the nose, froward of the wing. Probably a lighting thing with where you took the screenie. However she's looking great, and I do believe you got her. :aok